Vehicle-body



C. W. McKINLEY.

VEHICLE BODY.

APPLICATION HLEDIUNE 4. i917.

1,383,41 2. Patented July 5, 1921.

awwwto'c Char/es m MVf/h/ey UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. MCKINLEY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, 'ASSIGNOR TO THE WILLYS-OVERLAND COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO. A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

VEHICLE-BODY.

Application filed June 4,

. KINLEY, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and btate of Ohlo, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Bodies,

of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

' This invention relates to improvements in convertible bodies for motor vehicles and more particularly to that class of convertible bodies in which the door and pillars are completely removable to convert the vehicle from a closed to an open one.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a removable pillar, carrying means for drawing the top toward the body so as to securely clamp the pillar in place between the top and body to hold it firmly and rigidly there and to prevent its twisting or turning in place. A further object of my invention is to provide simple and efficient means for clamping or locking a removable pillar in place, which means may be quickly and easily operated to release the pillar.

Further objects, and objects relating to details. of construction and economies of manufacture, will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow. I accomplish .the objects of my invention by the devices and means described in the following specification. My invention may be carried out by various means and still come within the purview of my invention as pointed out in the appended claims A structure constituting a preferred embodiment of my inventionis illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which:

- Figure I is a fragmentary side elevation of a motor vehicle, in which my invention,

is embodied;

Fig. II is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional .view taken on the line II-'II of F I; i

ig. III is an enlarged, detail view in side.

elevation, showing the connection between.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1921.

refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and the sectional views are taken looking in the direction of the little arrows at the ends of the section lines.

Considering the numbered parts of the drawings; 1 indicates the vehicle body, 2 the top thereof, 3 the removable pillars, which serve as guides for the windows 4, these windows being adapted to drop into the body of the vehicle when not in use. The pillar 3 is provided with longitudinally extending grooves 5, and a recess 6, somewhat deeper and wider than the grooves 5, and connecting the inner ends thereof. A bracket 7 is mounted on the pillar at top and bottom and is provided at the inner corners thereof with upwardly extending beveled lugs 8 which cooperate with complemental recesses 17, provided on the keeper 16. The bracket 7 is secured to the end of the pillar by the screws 9 and carries a block of rubber 10, which is adapted to be engaged by the adjacent keeper 16, when the pillar is clamped in place, so that there is a somewhat yielding engagement between these parts.

Bracket '7 is provided with a polygonal opening 11, and the locking rods 12, which lie in the grooves 5 in the pillar, have end portions 13 of polygonal cross-section, which are slidably mounted in said polygonal openings 11. For a portion of their length,

said end portions 13 are flattened, as at 141, for a purpose which will be hereinafter described, and each of said end portions has a conical head 15. An angle plate 16, forming a keeper is secured to top and body respectively', adjacent and in line with each of said brackets 7, and said angle plates 16 are provided with recesses 17 which cooperate with the lugs 8, hereinbefore referred to. A slot 18 is provided in the vertical part of each angle member 16, said slot 18 being somewhat wider and higher than the head 15 on the end of the locking rod 12, so that said head 15 may pass out from within the keeper through the slot 18. A slot 19 is provided in the horizontal portion of each keeper 16, said slot 19 being slightly wider.

than the flattened portion 141 of said end'portion 13, so that said flattened portion may move in said slot 19. At the inner end of the slot 19, there is provided a polygonal permit of clamping the pillar very rigidly in place between the top and the body. The V polygonal .portions 13; at the ends of the looking rods 12, engage in both the polygonal-openings 11 of the bracket 7 and in opening 20, corresponding with the poly wthe polygonal openings 20. in the keeper 16,

onal opening 11 in bracket 7, and said opening 20 is counterbored at 21 to receive the conical head 15 on the lockingrod.

One locking rod 12 has an inwardly curved portion 23, at its inner end, whichis pivotally connected at 24 with the inner end of the operating handle 22. The other locking rod 'so that, when the operating handle 22- is lifted, the locking rods 12 will be separated and, conversely, when the operating handle 22 is depressed, the locking rods 12 will be drawn toward each other. V

From the description of the parts given above,the operation of this device should be very readily understood. The locking mechanism is housed within the pillar 3 and is carried thereby through the engagement of the polygonal end portions 13 of the locking rods 12, with the polygonal openings 11 in the brackets 7. This permits of the lon-'v gitudinal movement of the locking rods- 12,

' but prevents the locking mechanism from twisting or turning within the pillar 3. In order to release the pillar to permit of its i removal, the operating handle 22 is lifted,

"which separates the rods 12 forcing the polygonal end portions 13 outwardly, so that the conical heads 15 are removed from the eounterbore 21. l/Vhenthis has been done, because of the flattened portions 14, which are ofsubstantially the same width as the slot 19, the'pillar, together withthe locking q mechanism carried thereby, may beremoved by a straight lateial movement, the polygon'al portions of the locking bolts moving inthe'slots 19, and the heads 15 moving out through the slots 18 in the vertical portions the keepe rs 16. In order to mount the pillar in positiomit is inserted in place between the top and body, the flattened por-- tion's lamoving through the slots 19,,and "the operating handle 22 is pushed d wardl y, drawing the locking rods 12 together the pillar in position between the top and body. The blocks-10, of rubber orsimilar' resilient material, are provided at top and bottom of the pillar so as to provide a resilien't engagement between the pillar and the top and body respectively, -wl1ich will body. V

I have found that this particular embodi ment of my invention is desirable from' many standpoints, b'utI am'aware that it can bevaried considerably without departing from the spirit of my invention and therefore, I desire to claim the same broadly as well as specifically, as indicatedby the appended claims. 7 r Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desirG o secure by Letters Patent is: v r 3 V V i 1. In a vehicle, the combination of a body, a top, a removable pillar, longitudinally alined members carried by saidpillarin the plane thereof, cooperatingmembers carried bysaid body and top, respectively, and also located in the plane of said pillar whenthe latter is inoperative position, and means for simultaneously operating said alined members to cause them to engage saidcooperat- 'i'ng members and-draw said top toward said body to clamp said pillar between the two.

2. In a vehicle,the combination ofa' body; a top; aremovable pillar; brackets secured to the top and bottom thereof; locking bolts slidably and-non-rotatably mounted in said brackets; slotted keepers secured to said top and bodyrespectively in line with said pillar, said locking bolts being detachablyrand non-rotatably engageable withsaid brackets; and means for drawing'said bolts together to draw said top toward said body and clamp said pillar between the two.- V

3. In a'vehicle, thecombination of a body;

a top; a removable pillar; brackets secured to said removable pillar at to nd'bottom thereof and provided with polygonal openingsrtherethrough; locking bolts'housed in saidp'illar'an dprovided with polygonal end portions slidably mounted in said openings; keepers secured to'said top and body respective'lyinline with the ends of said pillar and -provided withslots, saidloeking bolts being 7 provided with heads adapted to pass through "the slots' in saidkeepers; and means for drawing said lockingboltsutogether to draw the top toward the body and clamp :the pil- -lar between the two. :j i 4:. 1 11 a vehicle, the combination. ofLa body; a top; a-ir'emovable pillar; brackets secured to the top and bottom ofsaid pillarsgre'spectively, each bracketbeingprovidedwith a polygonal opening therethrough a "keeper secured to said top and body respectively, in line with the brackets on said pillar; said keeper being provided witha slot inL-thevertical part thereof, a narrower slot in the horizontal portion thereof terminating in openings polygonal in cross section and corresponding to the polygonal opening in said bracket; locking bolts carried'by and housed within said pillar, the outer end of each locking bolt being provided with a polygonal portion, slidable in said polygonal openings, and a flattened portion, movable in said keeper slot; and means for actuating said bolts to draw the top toward the body and clamp the pillar between the two.

5. In a vehicle, the combination of a body; a top; a removable pillar; brackets secured to said pillar at the top and bottom thereof, and each provided with a polygonal opening therethrough and a pair of locking bolts, each being provided with a polygonal portion at its outer end, slidable in the polygonal openings in said brackets, angle plates secured to the top and body respectively in line with the ends of said pillar, each of said angle plates being provided with a slot in the vertical portion thereof, and a narrower slot in the horizontal portion thereof, and having a polygonalopening at the inner end of said narrower slot, said locking bolts being each provided with a flattened portion, movable in said narrower slot in the angle plates, and having heads engaging the inner surface of the angle plate; and means for actuating said bolts to draw the top toward the body and clamp the pillar between the two.

6. In a vehicle, the combination of a body, a top, a removable pillar, resilient material disposed at the ends of said pillar between said top and body and said pillar, longitudinally alined members carried by said pillar in the plane thereof, cooperating members carried by said body and top, respectively, and also located in the plane of said pillar when the latter is in operative position, and means for simultaneously operating said alined members to cause them to engage said cooperating members and draw said top toward said body to clamp said pillar between the two.

7. In a vehicle, the combination of a body; a top; a removable pillar; brackets secured to said pillar at top and bottom thereof; keepers on said top and body respectively; cooperating lugs on said brackets and keepers respectively, engageable with each other to prevent lateral movement of said pillar relative to said top and body; means between said pillar and top and body respectively, adapted to prevent twisting of said pillar; and means for actuating said last named means for drawing said top toward said body to clamp the pillar between the two. a

8. In combination, a body, a top, a removable pillar, slotted plates secured to the top and body, respectively, and located in the plane of said pillar when the latter is in operative position, members carried by the pil lar in the plane thereof and projecting at opposite ends thereof adapted to extend within the slots formed in said plates, and means connecting the inner ends of said members operable to draw said members into engagement with the plates to clam the pillar between the top and body.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES W. MoKINLEY. 

